Ink or color mechanism for printing machinery.



J. A. mums. INK 0R GOLOB. MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINERY.

APPLiOATION FILED AUG.19, 1910.

Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

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INVENTOR WITNESSE.

J. A. J. HAYES. INK 0R COLOR MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MAGHINEBY.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 19, 1910.

Patented Feb. 21,- 1911.

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; INVENTOR.

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UNITED LQTATEF PATENT OFFICE,

JOHN ARTHUR JEFFERSON HAYES, OF SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND.

INK OR COLOR MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINERY.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN ARTHUR JEF- FERSON HAYES, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at The Hall Works, Stratton Road, Shirley, Southampton, in the county of Hants, England, merchant, have invented new and useful Improvements in Ink or Color Mechanism for Printing Machinery, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the feeding of color, ink, and such like, with respect to printing machinery generally, and more especially lithographic, letterpress, and similar printing machines.

It also applies to any flat bed or rotary typographical or letter-press machine andto textile printing machines.

In particular it relates to improvements with respect to the color box or its equivalent used in such machines.

In printing machinery of this class, various types of color box are used to hold and distribute the color, or ink, and various means are employed to regulate the flow of the color or ink with the object of obtaining a freer or more restricted flow at any particular position according to requirements. The most common type of color box is that consisting of a duct or roller and a blade of metal, the blade pressing against said duct or roller. To allow of the required control, the blade is acted on from the back or below or elesewhere by screws, or the like, which bear and press on the blade at various points and with the desired degree of pressure, a tightening of the screws at certain points pressing the blade so as to limit the feed while the opposite effect follows a slackening back of any screw or screws and the color can then flow more freely. I11 former cases where separately adjusted plates have been used a color or ink trough has been provided and the actual combined blade elements did not with a duct alone constitute the color box, which simplification is an important feature of my invention.

Now, according to my invention, I use with a simple rotary duct what really amounts to a sectional blade or doctor, that is, a doctor made up of small blocks or sections which fitclosely against each other and if necessary slide into or engage each other throughout the series or engage with a suitable support, or the sections are otherwise Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 19, 1910.

Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

Serial No. 578,052.

acted upon for the purpose of my invention, and the forms of sectional blades to be 'hereafter described also present features of nove ty.

Sectional blades or with a simple rotary duct are hereafter fully described, and reference is had to the attached drawings wherein On Sheet 1 Figure 1 shows in end view two sections or blocks of a convenient design for my purpose. Fig. 2 is a broken section of a dove-tailed support or bed such as will serve to carry the sections or blocks. Fig. 3 illustrates 3 sections or blocks in position on the support or bed. Fig. 1 is a plan view and shows one complete section or block and a framgent of contiguous ones, and also other details such as one way of obtaining adjustment. Fig. 5 represents a side elevation of one section or block in position on the support or bed and contacting with a rotary duct with which it forms the color box, a horizontal disposition being shown for convenience, it being understood however that the sections or blocks, &c., would generally lie at an angle to the duct (see Fig. 9). Fig. 6 represents a detail sectional end view from Fig. 5, and partly in section. On Sheet 2, Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic plan showing a series of sections or blocks to constitute a complete doctor or blade all the sections in the rank coinciding exactly to produce a uniform straight edged blade to contact with the duct. Fig.8 shows a similar plan view but with the sections or blocks variously adjusted so as to get a differential feed of color or ink. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the sectional doctor or blade furnishing color or ink to one type of printing apparatus, the printing cylinder being seen on the extreme right. Fig. 10 shows a modification in the way of attaching the adjusting screws to the support or bed. Fig. 11 indicates a modification according to which I act on flexible section plates combined with a color duct in a manner to regulate the distance between the edge of each section and the periphery of the rotating duct.

The improved doctor or blade to combine with a rotary duct or roller according to my invention is made up of any requisite number of units each unit being a section or block such as (0, approximately flat in plan view, and with an edge or contacting face a to bear against the roller or duct 6, and

doctors combined the sections are preferably of uniform size although this may be varied if necessary,

but, in any case, the whole of the sections a abut together across the desired width and interlock either together or more conveniently with a support or bed 0. A simple way is to form the lower face of the sections or blocks with dovetail projections a which interlock with dovetail recesses 0 cut in the support or bed 0, the meeting edges a of the sections fitting closely and making a good joint. By so dovetailing the sections a upon the support or bed 0 they can be readily adjusted toward theduct or roller 7) with which they contact, and such support or bed 0 inclined and thus the sections are disposed at a suitable angle to the duct roller 7). Mechanical means are provided for securing individual adjustment of the sections or blocks. The simplest means are screws for this purpose and I show each section provided with a block (1* which is bored and tapped for a screwed spindle (Z, by turning which, the particular section a is advanced or withdrawn as desired. The screwed spindles (Z are held in a flange 0 or fixing forming part of or attached to the support or bed 0, and are free to turn each in a bearing formed therein. Such screwed spindles d (which may have small collars (Z) are simply dropped into position in recesses or bearings in the flange, or they may be held down by small caps (Z fixed in position by two screws (Z (Z both ways being indicated in the drawings. As a modification, I may mount the screwed spindles (Z, to turn in small carriers or b 'ackets f which are fixed to enlargements on the support or bed 0 by studs or bolts f, this plan permitting of withdrawal of each section or block a from the back. This arrangen'ient is indicated by Fig. 10.

IVhatever means are provided for supporting the adjusting screws it is seen that. each screw engages directly into its particular block or nut, and every section a. is accordingly independently adjustable from the rear.

The carrier or base 0 for guiding the sections (2 may in its turn be supported on a main bed or bar, such as g, and provision in the form of screws 0 see Fig 5 carried in fixed bearings made to permit a settingup 0r adjustment of the carrier or base 0 and consequently of all the sections a to gether.

All the sections a may be fixed or adjusted to one line or to present a uniform edge, and this is well shown in Fig. 7, which disposition gives a true edged doctor to contact with the duct- For the purpose of .readily denoting uniform adjustment, I propose to cut a slot or recess a in each section a, parallel with the workmg edge, and so, when approxnnate accuracy has been obtained a straight'edge a (See Fig. 5) can be pushed into position to engage the channel presented by said slots a hen the straight edge properly occupies such slot and can be freely run through, it is a sign that a true edge is presented to the duct 6. This cuttingof a slot a is optional because asufficiently true edge can in most cases be obtained by screwing-11p each section ahard onto the duct.

Rapid setting to the duct is obtainable by adjusting the carrier or bed 0 leaving individual setting to the screws (Z.

In Fig. 8 I indicate the sections variously adjusted with regard to the duct Z), that is, the edge of certain sections lies nearer to the duct than others, and the farther a section is from the duct the more color or ink goes through at that point.

As already instanced the individual sections may themselves interlock.

As a further modification, and, as indicated in Fig. 11, I may employ a number of sectional flexible plates (0, of a suitable width, bolted to an adjustable support 0', and arrange to act on such narrow sections a by set-screws 72 carried in a cross-bar Z using one or more screws for each section. By acting on the screws h the edge ct of each section plate (6* could be adjusted with respect to the periphery of the dnct Z), so as to leave more or less margin intermediate of the two, and thus permit passage of more or less color or ink according to requirements.

Fig. 9 is a diagram which shows the application of the improved sectional doctor to a color duct 6 with the color 7' retained between the two. The,rollers lettered are color passing rollers, those lettered i 2' are distributing rollers having end-on mo tion as well as rotary motion if required, while A is the printing cylinder.

A fine adjustment can be obtained and also the distribution of color can be better regulated locally because independent powers exist with respect to each block or section and consequently the color box is easier to control and especially while printing.

The blocks are preferably interchangeable, and, in the event of any defect or breakage, a fresh block can be introduced without affecting the setting of the other blocks.

I may make provision with the object oi being able to remove the blocks in small groups or collectively (quite apart from the means for independently adjusting all the blocks), as for example, a part of or the whole combination of blocks may be arranged to be removed bodily to leave the base ready to receive another combination of blocks.

It is seen that by the improved section blocks or adjustable distributers I can readily bring about any desired adjustment or setting across the length of the roller or duct and I may make provision for closing the ends of the trough by wads or otherwise according to the number of section blocks in use at any particular time.

The blocks or sections need not necessarily be of metal or alloy but in some cases of other suitable material as for instance hard rubber, vulcanite, ebonite, and such like. It of metal or alloy the blocks or sectionsmay be plated by electrodeposition or be coated or otherwise treated.

The improved sectional doctor with or without modification can be fitted to any flatbed or rotary lithographic or other press.

I declare that what I claim is:

1. I11 aprinting machine a color or ink feed controlling device comprising a doctor or blade consisting of abutting plates or units, dovetail projections at the back of said plates, :1 bed supporting the same, undercut recesses in said bed adapted to be engaged by the dovetail projections on the plates, a main bed carrying the undercut bed, adjusting means therefor, and screw adjusting means for the undercut bed to each individual plate, all in combination with a rotary duct or roll, and for the purposes, and as set forth.

2. In a printing machine of the type de scribed a color or ink feed controlling device, comprising a duct or roll, and a builtup doctor or blade consisting of abutting plates or units, dove-tail projections on the plates, a carrying bed, dovetail recesses in the said bed, means carried by said bed to adjust the plates or units individually, a lower bed supporting the dovetailed bed and screw adjusting .means for adjusting the dovetailed bed on the lower bed substantially as set forth.

3. In a printing machine of the type described, the combination comprising the sectional color or ink controlling device comprising plates, units, with screw-threaded projections and dove-tail portions, a dovetailed bed supporting said units and having adjusting-screw carrying portions, screw adjusting means intermediate of the plates, and dovetailed beds, and a lower bed supporting the dovetailed bed, and adjusting means therefor, substantially as described.

4. In a printing machine, a duct or roll against which abuts plates or units, having a contact edge, dovetailing projections on the back, a bed with dovetail recesses for the plates, screw adjusting means carried by the bed and engaging the plates or notes, a support for the bed, and screw adjusting means for said support whereby all the plates can be adjusted simultaneously, all, in combination, and as set forth.

5. In a printing machine, a rotary duct, abutting plates or units, contacting with said duct and having dovetailed projections, and slots (4 a bed with dovetailed recesses carrying the abutting plates, screw adjusting means carried by the bed, a support for the bed, and screw adjusting means for the bed whereby all the plates can be adjusted simultaneously, all as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN ARTHUR JEFFERSON HAYES.

Witnesses J AS. KENNEDY ALLAN, J AMES HARVEY. 

